Comparing Portia And Brutus In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Proving Loyalty In William Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar, the uses of rhetorical questions, repetition, and anaphora help the character of Portia become persuasive and convincing. Anaphora is used to show Brutus that Portia knows the circumstances of the situation, but she still wants to know what Brutus is keeping from her. Making her first case as to why Brutus should tell her what is troubling him, Portia uses anaphora saying, “I grand I am a woman; but withal A woman that Lord Brutus too wife: I grant I am a woman; but withal A woman well-reputed, Cato's daughter” (71). By using the anaphora, Portia conveys a new message to Brutus that she is to be respected, and brings a new tone to her message.

Draped in flowing teal cloth, Portia is a visual anomaly in comparison to the rest of the cast, who standardly is dressed in a strict uniform of white collared shirts, black kilts, and red sashes to accent. The stark contrast of just colour itself ostracizes Portia from the rest of the characters; a notable costuming choice, as she represents an entirely different dimension to the life of Brutus. In Julius Caesar. By William Shakespeare. Dir. Ron Jenkins. Shakespeare Company, Ground Zero Theatre, and Hit and Myth Productions, at Vertigo Theatre, Calgary. 06 October 2017. Performance, designer Victoria Krawchuk creates an archetype of Portia’s role in the show through costuming. Portia’s more traditional Roman look, an elegant dress and bare feet, resonate the image of a mythological goddess; symbols of both femininity and strength. Encompassing these characteristics perfectly, Portia acknowledges them herself in 2.1, 292-302, (Shakespeare, William. “Julius Caesar.” The Norton Shakespeare: Essential Plays, The Sonnets, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, Norton, 2016, pp. 1115-1180,) in which she states,

Likewise, in Julius Caesar, women are considered inferior. When Portia, Brutus’ wife, wants Brutus to trust her she has to prove herself strong by stabbing herself. It is the societal view of women that makes her have to prove herself. Another major example of this is when the threat of being considered weak by his peers

In the play Julius Caesar written by the whimsical, sophisticated William Shakespeare both beloved Brutus and noble Antony deliver their most thorough attempts to win over the delicate citizens of Rome into what they believed was correct. Brutus gave it a valiant effort in trying to convince the citizens that murdering the noble Caesar was the best thing to do for the people. In the end Brutus’ effort was not enough because Antony was able to turn every Roman against Brutus and the other deceitful conspirators during his speech with his extraordinary use of logos, pathos, and ethos.

He already has personal opinions, but then he receives an anonymous letter urging him to act on Rome's behalf. His decision to tell his wife of this conspiracy is actually one of manipulation on her part, the overall secret being from the letter of Cassius, the man who sent the anonymous letter.

When we learn in the novel how intelligent Portia is we know that her father had given her an education while she was younger, but still he made a test to choose the best suiter for Portis to marry, he didn’t allow her to make her own choices, even if she is very smart (Shakespeare, 2004). Portia is also the one who won the case of Antonio in court by outsmarting all the male characters, even though women were not allowed in the court. Portia is also the one who delivered one of the most famous speeches in The Merchant of Venice: “The quality of mercy is not strain’d. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven. Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It Blesseth him that gives and him that takes” (Shakespeare,

Portia then restates that as a married couple, she is not just something, "to keep with you at meals, comfort your bed /and talk to you sometimes?" (2.1. 306-307). She does not feel like his wife and equal anymore, saying that she is not important when kept in the back of her husband's mind only for his pleasure. Guilty student. Portia, the rendition of the Roman modern woman, cannot live in that kind of state, believing that she feels used. She is very disturbed by the way she is treated, declaring "Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife" (2.1. 310). Slowly, Brutus understands his wife and feels shame when recalling what she has gone through. He tries to comfort her by saying, "You are my true and honorable wife, /as dear to me as are the ruddy drops /that visit my sad heart (2.1. 11-13). Next, Portia says that if what he says is true, Brutus should live up to his word by telling her the secret. Portia understands that as a woman, she is somewhat inferior to her husband, but she is not just any woman, for she has a good husband and is the daughter Cato, a well-respected Roman. To prove her constancy even further, she, following the Hellenistic form of ascetics, stoicism, makes a gash in her thigh. Portia claims, "Can I bear that with patience /and not my husband's secrets?" (2.1. 324-325). This wound was a proof of pain and showed her love and loyal constancy. Upon hearing this, an epiphany

Brutus truly loved Portia as an equal to himself because he refuses to tell Portia what is troubling him, in order to protect her. In the play, Brutus tries to convince Portia that he is simply sick and that she should go back to bed and not worry (act II, scene I, page 12, lines 265 and 268). Portia later proclaims that if she is strong enough to bear a self-inflicted stab wound, then she can handle what is weighing on Brutus’s mind. Brutus proceeds to wonder aloud how he is worthy of such a noble wife (act II, scene I, page 13, lines 310-313).

    Brutus and Cassius are both conspirators against Caesar, but for diverse reasons. Brutus, though pressured for the wrong reasons by his friend Cassius, joins the conspirators solely to promote the well being of Rome. Through out the play Julius Caesar, the guilt of the thought of slaughtering his benevolent friend Caesar overwhelms him. His wife Portia comments on the anguish caused from his inner battle between his love for Rome and his love for his Caesar. "Yesternight at supper you suddenly arose and walked about, musing and sighing, with your arms across" (Julius Caesar, 571, act 2, scene 1). Portia displays her concern of her husband's problems,

In the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, women play an important role. The women are important factors in foreshadowing and in the development of many of the characters. To look at the role of women in the play we must look deeper in to the roles of the only two women in the play; Calpurnia, wife of Caesar, and Portia, wife of Brutus. Both of these women are key in foreshadowing the murder of Caesar. After Caesar’s murder we do not hear much of either of them.

Portia still tries to uncover the cause of Brutus' sorrow, and proves she is worthy of keeping a secret because of her nobleness. First she states,

William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, was mainly based on the assassination of Julius Caesar. The character who was the mastermind behind the assassination was, ironically, Marcus Brutus, a senator and close friend to Julius Caesar. But what would cause a person to kill a close friend? After I examined Brutus' relationship towards Caesar, his involvement in the conspiracy and his importance to the plot it all became clear. Brutus had one particular reason for killing Caesar and that was for the good of the people and the republic. Brutus had no personal reason for killing Caesar. Some of his most admirable traits were his morality and leadership skills.

Politics come with contrasting opinions. Many people can be for one thing and then for another, thus resulting in a split population. This split population can cause violence in a contrasting belief and uproar from the everyday people can occur. In the tragedy, Julius Caesar, and the real world, political opinions affect the strength of a relationship by completely destroying bonds between individuals.

Since the beginning of time, there have been distinct divisions in the roles of men and women. Even dating back to early civilization, women have been portrayed by society as objects of desire. In the Renaissance period, the ideas about women and gender roles are still quite similar and the plays of Shakespeare can be used as a looking glass upon the acts of Renaissance society. Women were said to be concerned about their status as well as their identity which was said to be based solely upon the husband. In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare proves that not only can a woman be beautiful, but she can also be powerful, capable of overcoming similar obstacles as men, and above all else intelligent. Shakespeare appears to convey the true definition of feminism by creating heroic attributes in Portia, the heiress of Belmont, qualities that surpass other women of her time. A few of these traits would be perseverance, strength, resourcefulness, and the ability to put others before oneself. She defies and breaks the mold of traditional gender roles placed in a Renaissance society and illustrates admirable qualities that for centuries have gone unnoticed.

For instance, the author states, “I would have had thee there and here again Ere I can tell thee what thou shouldst do there” ( 2.4. 4-5). This shows Portia is ordering Lucius to be there and back she can even tell you what to do there. Another example is, “ I have a man’s mind but a woman’s might” (2.4. 4-5). This means Portia is saying that she has a man’s mentality which means she’s strong because back then men were considered better than women.